Islay faces farcical whisky waste law

In Compton Mackenzie's Whisky Galore, Hebrideans conspired to defeat the Exciseman. But now the island of Islay faces an even more formidable opponent.

Soon, because of EU law, the island will be criss-crossed by road tankers dumping waste water from the distilleries. But The Observer can reveal that a new study shows the waste water may in fact benefit the environment.

The EU developed the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive because the Mediterranean was turning to sludge. But it applies to the whole community.

Islay's distilleries make more alcohol per capita than anywhere else in the world. Not just any alcohol, but celebrated peaty malts like Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Bowmore.

'We dry the barley in peat smoke. That's what gives the whisky its distinctive flavour,' says Andy Cant of the island's malting house. When whisky is distilled, it leaves behind a liquid of yeast and cereal known as pot ale. Traditionally this is pumped straight into the sea but the EU Directive insists that any industrial waste water pumped into the sea must meet certain standards.

The pot ale does not meet the EU criteria because the alchemy of whisky production occurs in copper stills and traces of the metal get into the water. The new law says pot ale must either be treated or pumped into fast-flowing currents to prevent concentrations building up.

Laphroaig's outfall pipe is long enough already but Lagavulin distillery along with three others have had to come up with a different solution. From next January their pot ale will be taken by tanker across the island to pipes on the sound of Islay, where the tidal race is so fast the sea moves like a river.

'People don't fully realise what its going to be like,' says Brian Palmer of the local newspaper, the Ileach. There will be 50 journeys a week by the tankers. The traffic will be constant as two eight-hour shifts a day work to get the pot ale to the new facility. 'The EU law is aimed at the environment, but what about the noise and pollution of all that traffic' says Mr. Palmer.

The distilleries say they considered alternatives but road tankers were the only economically viable solution. 'It's ridiculous we are having to do this in the first place' says Brian Cant, of United Distillers and Vintners.

That sense of farce is set to grow as The Observer has learnt that new scientific evidence shows distillery waste can help the environment.

Ian Lambert, United Distillers environmental officer, says the findings of an independent study to be published this year show that naturally occurring chemicals in the peaty soil neutralise the effects of the copper. 'It even suggests that the discharged water is good for the environment,' he says.

What concerns islanders is that this once tranquil spot will soon be ruined by the noise and pollution of the tankers. They worry that the same peat which gives the whisky its taste does not make a good surface to build roads on. Locals fear that tankers will literally crush them into the bog.

The distillery owners say they are aware of the concerns about road maintenance. They say they have paid their local taxes for many years, and are responsible for the huge income to the treasury from whisky duty, and see no reason to pay extra for using the roads.